THE SOCIAL ROUND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 38, 21 March 1914, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE SOCIAL ROUND

NOTES AND NEWS;

: t Yesterday afternoon an informal re- -- ception' in honour of Mme. Antonia Dolores was given by Mrs Hoben at the United' Service Hotel, and a number of ladies gladly embraced- the opportunity of meeting and conversing with the fa- ' mous singer. The function was held in ~ the drawing-room, and during the afternoon? Miss .Millicent Jennings, at Mme. 53 sang several songs in • -her usual delightful style. Mme. was very . complimentary concerning the : *> .young-singer's performance, and said, ' "It is indeed charming; you*have great j' talent:". The gufest of honour was accompanied by Madame Vandotir and -Miss Iris de CairOs-Rego. • Amongst either ladies present were: Mrs Careys Hill, Mrs Sautelle,.Mrs Nixon, Mrs Eerguson, Mrs Loughnan, Mrs Thomas, Miss Stoddart. Mr W. H. Thorley, the newly-appointed conductor of the -Christchurch Orchestral , Society, ,and <•> Mr Hoben were also present. 1.-?***' v ■< v f Visitors for the polo next week are already coming to town, and amongst - them are Mr and Mrs J. R. Murphy, of Gisborne, who are staying at WarV - : •:> ner's., Miss Thomson (Christehurch) is visiting Wellington. - At the congratulatory dinner to the Prime' Minister, held at Westport on Tuesday night, his Miss Massey, was made the "recipient of a valuable gold bracelet to mark the occasion of her birthday, and also her visit to Westport. The Prime Minister, - v in reply, thanked the donors for the •gift, aiid said he had no idea when 1 - mentioning, at the opening of the \ Murchison Show that day, that it was Ms daughter's birthday, that such a result would follow. He added that Miss Massey was just the age of his political career, having been born the year he entered Parliament, and he further stated that she was "a born politician." On page 5 of this issue appears an interesting story of the progress of the the D.1.C., together with'a few details regarding their present display of new season's goods. This is an article no lady should miss reading. tfjueen Mary, on visiting Norwich Cattle Museum lately, with the Bishop of Norwich and her two sons, refused to give up her umbrella to the janitor, who insisted upon the observance of the regulations, Until the bishop communicated the lady'b ranks. The Queen's objections to giving up the umbrella , arose from the,, same idea that causes her to have every piece of metal or , paper money that enters the hands of the King, herself and family washed, scoured, disinfected, and all but rubbed away before delivery. The Royal lady lives in terror of disease germs. But though the royal establishments are rigorously probed for the annihilation of Dame Nature has something of a smile on the Queen, for every one of her children have been quite conventional in the matter of going through all the contagious troubles to which childhood, is heir. In a recent English case, where the father was sued for extravagant dress accounts contracted by his daughter, Judge Parry commended the plan of giving daughters a dress allowance, with the understanding that they must keep within this limit, as the practice oi allowing them to book debts left them entirely ignorant of money value. Cer tainiy, modern conditions require that i girl should learn to take responsibilities at an early age. Dependence was al yery well in old-fashioned days, be cause conditions were different. De pendence on others was then the under stood lot through life of most girls, am it was not seemly for a~young™girl T t choose her own clothes, much le3s in i dnlge in shopping excursions alone

With modern liberty, however, the dress allowance should cover every requirement—drees, travel- and . amusement. The girl then learns to map out things accordingly, and acquires the desirable art of spending both wisely and well. The line between manly and womanly occupations has become much less rigid than it used to be, but the latest report on rural education tfy the English Reform Committee shows such an advance in modernisation that many will feel inclined to rub their eyes and wonder if they have read aright. The committee has recommended that elementary codfcery and, plain sewing shall be taught to boys, and simple carpentry to girls. This seems sensible, and- if carried intcv effect, may prove a happy solution - of the ever-growing domestic problem. Also, it may' do more than yards of preaching to modify the idea that the woman who does not sew on her husband's buttons is no true wife. Certainly it will. no longer be possible to draw a picture of the unfortunate .derelict of a husband who cannot go to business of a morning because his wife has neglected her duty. Taught simple sewing and plain cookery in his youth, the hußband of the future will be ably to sew on his own buttons and cook his own breakfast, but the wife's job is likely to suffer as a consequence, for, to use an old saying, "No man is going to keep a dog and bark himself.'' ' Speaking recently at the -London Institute of Hygiene on the Health and Development of Girls, Dr Elizabeth Sloan Chesser maintained that the really healthy, girl is interested in her work, and desires , She wants to grip life, and, led away by the intensity of her feelings, is sometimes hard to manage. Old ideas, said Dr Chesser, have been responsible for much spiritual ill-health and unhappiness among women. She advocated training for all, Whatever their social position, that would enable them to be self-sup-porting. This would not only interest them and fill their time, but would help to do away with merely convenient marriages. '' The girl of to-day,'' said the speaker, "is aix individualist who is self-centred, selfish, heedless of others, and it is not until maturity is more nearly reached that the power is given her of putting the welfare of others first. Marriage, with real love as its motive, was the highest culmination of a woman/s life, but more happy marriages would be achieved, and more and better children would follow, if girls were brought up to work, and to accept marriage only when based on love."